Weird things we want to know about Anthony Albanese

Campaign Confidential: What Aussies want to know about the Labor leader. Plus: ‘Princess’ Annastacia gets her drinks order, and why the final week of the campaign is basically a waste of time.

Got a hot tip for Campaign Confidential? Email [e-mail]

Weird stuff we want to know about Albo

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese visits a pre-polling booth in the suburb of Wanneroo, on Monday. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

He’s been in parliament since 1996 and Labor leader since 2019, but it seems there are a lot of quite unusual things Australians want to know about Anthony Albanese – and they’re turning to Google for answers. Analysis of Google Trends data by online intel consultancy Marketix Digital has revealed the top 10 questions Aussies want answered about Albo. Top of the list: does he have a family? (The answer is yes.) Next up, Googlers want to know if he speaks Italian (no); if he’s gay (no); his nationality (Australian); who his wife is (he doesn’t have one, having divorced former NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt in 2019); how old his girlfriend is (Jodie Haydon is 43); does he have a son (yes); who his father is (Carlo Albanese); did he support the Adani coal mine (yes); and lastly, how one can vote for him (you can’t, unless you live in Grayndler, in which case you put a ‘1’ next to his name on the ballot paper). The questions Aussies are asking about Scott Morrison are also pretty weird: among other things, people are asking Google if Scott Morrison will resign (who knows?): how old Jenny Morrison is (54); if he has a son (no); and who called him a psycho (absolutely no comment).

Wilkie’s week in iso

Independent member for Clark Andrew Wilkie was out putting up his election campaign posters in Hobart a few weeks ago. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Covid-19 has had its way with a swath of candidates during this campaign, most notably Anthony Albanese, but also Kristina Keneally, Bill Shorten, Chris Bowen, Catherine Renshaw, Angie Bell and Karen Andrews. On Monday the Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie revealed he had also tested positive, which means his final week on the campaign trail will be spent at home. This would be a devastating blow for candidates in knife-edge electorates, but Wilkie should be right: he scored 72 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote in 2019. He could have campaigned from his bedroom for six whole weeks and still been a shoo-in.

Making your mind up

Crowds waiting to line up for early voting at Chermside Kedron Community Church in the Brisbane seat of Lilley. Picture Lachie Millard

Of course, it’s entirely possible this final week of the election campaign might be a bit of a waste of time for everyone. Official AEC stats on postal ballots and from pre-polling centres show one in four votes in the Queensland seat of Longman has already been cast, while in Chisholm (Victoria) it’s one in five, in Boothby (SA) it’s one in six, and in Reid (NSW and Bass (Tasmania) it’s one in seven. The stats tally with the findings from ANU’s long term tracking study of Australian voters. That project, helmed by Professor Ian McAllister, showed 37 per cent of Aussies made up their mind who to vote for during the 2019 election campaign, but exactly the same number made their decision long before the campaign itself.

Drinks for ‘Princess’ Annastacia

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks to the Labor Party faithful. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Labor’s rally in Queensland on Sunday was a thirst-making affair for all involved, and Campaign Confidential hears a long line formed at a nearby cafe after the event, with journos and Labor Party volunteers all hoping to get a nice refreshing drink to combat the Brisbane humidity. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had the same idea, but luckily for her, her minders were able to cut the queue and get their ice cold soft drinks well ahead of others. Campaign Confidential hears those who were patiently were not impressed.

Television’s night of nights

Liberal Senator Concetta Fiervanti-Wells. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

For political tragics, Saturday’s big decision is not so much who to vote for, but which telecast count to tune into. Here’s a quick guide to the pollies lined up to speak on the different networks:

Sky: Bridget McKenzie and James McGrath for the Coalition; Murray Watt and Joel Fitzgibbon for Labor.

Seven: Jason Clare, Katy Gallagher and Chris Bowen for Labor; Christopher Pyne, Michaelia Cash and David Littleproud for the Coalition.

Nine: Julie Bishop, Jane Hume and Matt Canavan for the Coalition; Bill Shorten and Kate Ellis for Labor.

Ten: Anne Ruston and Hollie Hughes for the Coalition; Ed Husic and Stephen Jones for Labor.

ABC: Simon Birmingham for the Coalition; Tanya Plibersek for Labor.

Campaign Confidential reckons there’s some good fireworks potential with every panel, though it’s a shame none of them snapped up Concetta Fiervanti-Wells or Emma Husar for the big night. Think of the drama!